For the Sake of Love
by SingSongThePegasus
Summary: Azrith was a humble Changeling. She abided by all the rules, had a nice job as a scout. So when she was asked by Queen Chrysalis herself to visit Equestria to scout for love, there is nothing she'd rather do. But sometimes, the rules aren't always the right thing to do. (Entry for the Equestria Daily Outside Insight Summer Writing Contest)
1. The Scout and the Queen

**Hi everyone! This is my first story, and also the story for the Outside Insight Summer Writing Contest on Equestria Daily. Hope you enjoy! :)**

**Rating: K+**

**Word Count for this chapter: 2,072**

**Genre: Friendship, Adventure**

* * *

Azrith was a humble Changeling.

At least, that's what she was told. She was brought up in a good Hive. The Changeling Kingdom was divided into several Hives of about a hundred Changelings each, plus two Hive Leaders, one male and one female. Azrith lived in one of the Upper Hives. The Upper Hives were made up of the Changelings that were destined to become the Queen's advisor, or leaders of the armies, or something high rank.

Azrith was told that she was brilliant, that she could get any job she'd like. However, she was contented with being a simple scout, a job normally reserved for Changelings in the Middle to Lower Hives. Scouts went out to spy on potential kingdoms that they were contemplating feeding from. The scouts had to be experts at changing form so that they could blend in with the locals. Azrith loved exploring, so this job was perfect for her. So far, she'd gone to The Divided Griffon City States, but it was in their name; they were divided. They were far too competitive and relationships formed there were weak. She'd gone to the Seapony Islands, but all she had found were a bunch of primitive life forms that only sang gibberish. Azrith had found them lovely, but according to the Queen, there wasn't enough love for the Changelings to feast.

No one except the Queen, the Queen's advisor, and the Changeling Army ever went on hunts. No one really knew what happened on the hunts, except that they always came back with bottles of love aura. The auras would be distributed to every Hive, starting with the highest class. The lowest of the Lower Hives got the weakest love. No one really questioned where the auras came from. The Changeling subjects were born starving. When they first hatched, they were placed in isolation and given the best love to devour, until they were about three years old. Azrith was told that she was released into her Hive when she was one.

The Changelings were running out of options. For some unknown reason, the Queen hadn't wanted to invade Equestria. Until now. From what Azrith had heard, it was a huge realm, and the primary race was a magical bunch called 'ponies'. Apparently, it had enough love to feed the whole Kingdom for years.

"Azrith!"

The young scout turned around to see her nichemate, Trezin, approaching their niche on the lowest floor of the Hive, an excited look on his face. He was levitating a scroll of paper with his magic.

"Azrith, guess what?" he exclaimed jovially, flitting around her in circles, a wide grin spread ear to ear.

"What is it, Trezin?" Azrith asked, amused by his antics. "I haven't seen you this happy since I brought that seapony home from my last exploration mission." She remembered getting the purple animal for him. It was meant to be a hatchday gift. Since it had been 15 years since his hatching, he was allowed a pet by Changeling law, whether to eat or to care for. He'd been ecstatic, until he took it out of the bag of water for too long. Apparently, he hadn't gotten the whole 'sea' thing.

Trezin scowled, finally standing still. "That wasn't funny! Bee died right in my arms!"

"Sorry, sorry!" Azrith laughed. "What was it you wanted to tell me?"

He perked back up right away. "The Hive Mother is going to be taking me under her wing, for special training to someday work with Queen Chrysalis herself! Can you believe it?"

Azrith blinked, slightly confused and a bit disappointed. "So… you're leaving?" she asked softly. It was common knowledge around the Kingdom that whenever a Hive Mother or Father took someone 'under their wing', you never saw that Changeling again until their training was complete, which could take years. "Just… just like that?"

"Aw, don't be sad!" he said. "You'll see me in a few years. I'll just be better and stronger! You've seen the finished product!" It was true. Every Changeling that got special training came back ready to be in the highest ranks in the army. Although, if Azrith really thought about it, their personalities were completely different as well. She shuddered and shook the thought off. She should be happy for her friend. She sighed.

"I suppose so. It is for the benefit of the Hive," she murmured. "I'll… I'll just miss you. You're the only thing I've got. You know everyone sees me as an outcast."

"Oh, you'll do fine," he said, rolling his eyes. "You're under the orders of Queen Chrysalis herself! Once that gets out, everyone will want to be your friend."

"No one here is anyone's friend," Azrith said glumly. "I try to be friendly, but they only stare at me like I'm throwing away aura."

"Well…" he trailed off, looking down and not arguing. "Sorry. Really, I am. They'll be coming for me soon…"  
As if on cue, two official-looking Changelings flew over to their niche. "We are here for Trezin of the Forty Fifth Hive, Niche 98," one said. Azrith bit her lip.

"Yes. Yes, he's right here," she said. She wrapped her ragged wings around Trezin. "Be amazing." She dropped her voice to a whisper.

He trotted away with the other two Changelings. Azrith stared at him as he left their cozy niche forever. Not for the first time in her life, Azrith couldn't help feeling completely and totally alone.

She turned away and focused on levitating a clipboard with all the things she needed for work. She couldn't mope around just because her best friend was being taken from her for years. Azrith blinked away tears and remembered the steps to levitation, from so long ago. She was just a larva, barely out of isolation.

_Focus on the object._

He was her only friend.

_Feel the power building up in you? Let it flow._

If love existed within the Changeling Kingdom, she thought she might have loved him.

_Let the power surround the object._

Oh, no. She didn't want him to leave her. She'd grown too attached.

_No, Azrith, not that much power, you'll-_

She gave a small chuckle at the memory as she began to make her way to work. She'd had the quill in the air. The teacher began to congratulate her at being the first of her class to manage to get the feather pen in the air. The power began to become too much, and the pen burst into flames. Everyone panicked, except for one male sitting in the back, alone. He had approached the fire calmly, and batted his wing across it, burning the limb but successfully keeping the fire from spreading.

_"__You saved us!"_

_ "__Guess I did, yeah."_

_ "__What's your name?"_

_ "__Trezin. Yours?"_

_ "__Azrith."_

"You're late!"

Azrith jumped, dropping the clipboard. She quickly got it back up in the air, looking nervously at the desk lady. "I'm so sorry, Miss Wrelis. I-" She swallowed hard, blinking rapidly. "My nichemate left for our Hive Mother today. Special training."

"Well, that is no reason to be late on the job!" she snapped, glaring at Azrith. "You do realize that the Queen herself is waiting on you in the next room, don't you?"

Azrith's slit eyes widened to full circles. "You're not serious," she said, jumping a half inch in the air.

"I'm always serious, Azrith," the female sighed. "Go on in."

Azrith entered the wide meeting room, where it was often discussed the Changelings' next destination. Inside, there was only the Queen, sitting calmly at the far end of the long, wooden table with her eyes closed. The torches on the walls were out, casting an eerie shadow upon the wide room. Azrith gulped nervously, though the Queen hadn't even taken notice of her presence yet.

Azrith cleared her throat. "Your Highness," she said weakly, sinking into a low bow.

The Queen's eyes opened, and her muzzle curved into a wide smile that Azrith couldn't quite interpret. "You may rise, young one," she spoke, her voice a soft, chilling whisper. Azrith stood slowly. "Approach me."

The scout hesitated, but began making her way to the other end of the room, hoofstep by hoofstep. The room seemed to become colder the closer she got to the Queen, and Azrith shivered, whether in fear or change in temperature she couldn't decide.

"You are late," Queen Chrysalis said when Azrith had reached her, flicking her tongue as she spoke.

"I'm terribly sorry, your Highness, time just slipped away, and-" She was silenced as the royal Changeling held up one hoof.

"It is of no matter now," she murmured. "What is, however, is that I am quickly failing."

Azrith swallowed hard. "Failing, as in-"

"Dying, yes," the Queen said softly, staring straight ahead. "As you know, the auras are very important to each and every Hive."

"Yes, of course, ma'am," Azrith replied, trying not to let her fear show. If Queen Chrysalis was dying, who would lead the Changelings? Who would feed them? "You bring the auras back from races that are kind enough to grant us portions of their love."

"Ah, yes," the Queen almost smiled. "But what is not widely known is that I do not get aura until every other Changeling does. You feel the cold air, correct?" Azrith nodded sharply. "In our last hunt, we barely got enough love to sustain all the Hives. I did not receive any. Child, do you know what happens when a Changeling is starved of aura?"

"No, ma'am, I don't." There had always been plenty of aura for even the lowest Hive.

"We freeze."

Whatever Azrith thought she was expecting, this was not it. Freeze? "I-I'm not sure I understand, your Highness," she stammered. "What do you mean by 'freeze'?"

"I mean that quite literally, Azrith," Queen Chrysalis said, much too calmly. "Our bodies slowly become cold, and if we do not eat, we become covered in ice and unable to move. There is no way back from this state, for the lips are sealed shut. No aura is able to pass through, and even encased in fire, the ice refuses to melt. It is an unfortunate part of our biology, one that I fear will happen to me."

"How can I help?" Azrith asked desperately. "I won't let that happen to you, your Highness."

The Queen gave that mysterious smile again, the strange one that Azrith couldn't make anything of. "Ah, I was very much hoping you would ask," she said. "I believe you have heard our plans to go to Equestria for love?"

Azrith nodded. "Yes, I have," she said. "I have heard that they are bountiful of aura, but you were hesitant to go to the ponies. With all the greatest respect, your Highness, why?"

The Queen closed her eyes again. "Unfortunately, they do not blend well with those who do not look like them," she said. "If we go there, they might become hostile."

"A few of us could disguise ourselves to look like them!" Azrith said, an idea forming in her head. "We could befriend ourselves with the ponies, then once we become close to them, we show them that we can be trusted, no matter what we look like."

The Queen opened her eyes and studied Azrith closely. "You realize that you must fake friendship, correct?" she stated. Azrith winced under her heavy gaze. "You must not become close to these ponies. And once you have proved our race's diplomacy, you must leave immediately, before the army gets to their land to extract the aura."

Azrith nodded excitedly. "It is in my job description, your Highness," she said. "I am one of the best at disguises."

"And I shall go with you," the Queen said, and Azrith recoiled in surprise.

"B-but, your Highness, with all due respect, you are in no state to leave the Kingdom," she said, lowering her eyes immediately when Queen Chrysalis fixed her with an intense glare.

"It is not of your business where I decide to go. You are but a scout. Do you understand? You will not question my orders. Meet me back in this room in one month's time. I will have gathered the other scouts myself," she snapped. "That is all. Leave me at once!"

Azrith scurried out of the room and all the way back to her niche, heart pounding the whole way there.


	2. Meeting

**Word Count: 1,248**

* * *

A full month had passed, and Azrith had heard no news back from the Queen. It was by no means strange; her Highness normally kept to herself except on hunts. Not much had happened. Azrith still hadn't heard from Trezin. Even the 'under the wing' Changelings could send letters after the first week (that was after the initiation process, and no one knew what happened then). Azrith was worried. Not that that was unusual, but she was more worried than she normally was. Her training as a scout had taught her to sniff out when something was wrong, and this was definitely wrong.

She shook herself out of her thoughts. She wasn't paid to snoop for information about the Hive Mother. That, most likely, would get her burned to make the aura easier for the newborns to eat. Criminals in all Hives, Lower or Upper, were burned to ashes. Apparently the ash of a Changeling strengthened the aura's power, so that the hatchlings wouldn't have to stay in isolation as long.

So, Azrith made her way to work, heart beating louder than the tympani drums of the Dragon Empire. They were forced to listen to the drumbeats, in a steady beat of four, twenty four hours, seven days a week. It was said that it was trying to make them into good warriors, but from what Azrith saw when she travelled to their land, it only drove them insane.

Azrith walked in the doors of her work at least twenty minutes early, bursting in with barely contained excitement and a little bit of fear. Ms. Wrelis, sitting at the desk as usual, looked up, raising an eyebrow.

"Azrith, when will you learn that being too early is nearly as bad as being late?" she complained, and Azrith's eyes widened in disbelief.

"I'm sorry?" she asked, voice raising an octave.

"If you're early, people will start to think that you're some sort of… some sort of Queen's advisor!" she exclaimed, wrinkling her nose.

Azrith rolled her eyes. "Trust me, ma'am, no one is as clingy to the Queen as her advisor," she scoffed. "I'm just eager to explore."

"Well, eager or not, even her Majesty hasn't arrived yet, so…" Ms. Wrelis gestured irately at a chair. Azrith sighed and sat down, waiting for the Queen to arrive.

Not ten minutes later, royal guards entered, Queen Chrysalis and two other Changelings behind them. She glanced down at Azrith and smiled. "Ah. I see you are early," she said in her soft, double toned voice. "Your dedication shows, child."

The Queen walked through the door, gesturing to Azrith to follow. Azrith rose from the chair and gave a smug look to Ms. Wrelis, who scowled back. The room, alight with torch flame from what she saw in the doorway, flickered into darkness when the Queen walked in. She shivered, the horrible cold creeping down her spine once more.

"Please, sit," Queen Chrysalis said from the head of the table. Azrith took her place next to another female Changeling from a Lower Hive (all the Changelings were marked with bands on their back leg according to their Hive- purple for Upper Hives, green for Middle Hives, and red for Lower Hives). The male directly across from the two females was wearing a black band on his ear, signifying that he was part of the army, which confused Azrith. The army was for getting aura and bringing it back. They weren't very good at transforming.

"Welcome, all of you," the Queen said. "As you all know, my health is quickly failing. You may be able to feel it right now. I am in need of aura. You will accompany me to the land of Equestria, where there will be sustenance for everyone. You will disguise yourselves as…" She made three folders materialize with her magic. "…these three."

Azrith took a folder from the pile and opened it. Inside was a picture of a green… thing, most likely a pony. It had a strange marking of a golden thing with strings on its flank. Next to the picture was a file of the pony's life. Apparently it was a roommate to a thing called Bon Bon… no, Bon Bon was another pony. She smiled, always up for a challenge. She would have to improvise for that.

"Inside your folder is a biography of your pony, which is the primary race there," Queen Chrysalis said coolly. "There is a picture of the pony, who has already been taken care of, and an article on how ponies function as a society. We will leave as soon as you read the profile. I have a little under a month to live without feeding again."

"Um…" the Changeling beside Azrith said hesitantly. "Excuse me, your Majesty. But might I see my nichemate before we leave? She was expecting me back by dusk."

The Queen's eyes narrowed. "It sounds almost as if you are friends with your nichemate," she said suspiciously. "You are aware that friendship is a dreadful thing that leads to the collapse of society, yes?"

The Changeling looked flustered, and blinked rapidly. "Y-yes, ma'am," she stammered. "Of course, ma'am. I'm not friends with her."

Queen Chrysalis smirked. "Good. You will do well to remember that," she said. "Yes, the problem with these ponies is that they use this horrible friendship as a weapon. They will try to be nice to you to worm their way under your exoskeleton, and when you believe you are close to them… they strike." All three Changelings visibly flinched.

After about ten minutes, the Queen rose, walking over to Azrith. "Are you ready, young one?" she said, not giving any room for choice in her sentence. Azrith nodded. "I can only take one of you at once, as there are different locations you must be. But I assure you, you will be near to me. The city you will all be in is called Canterlot. Rise, young Azrith, and transform."

Azrith got up and turned into the green mare. She stood facing the Queen, who placed her hoof on her shoulder. Green light surrounded both of them, and they teleported out.

They arrived outside of a tall building. It was night. "This is where you shall be staying during the month I shall use to infiltrate their society to make them trust us," Queen Chrysalis said softly. "They are called apartments. It is where ponies live. Your roommate will be waiting for you in the apartment on the top left. It provides quite a view to the castle, where I shall be staying."

Azrith nodded wordlessly and began walking toward the building. She stopped and turned back around when the Queen spoke again.

"You will meet me at the foot of the castle in three weeks' time," she said. "The others will be there as well."

"Yes, your Majesty," Azrith said. "Is there anything else I must know?"

"One last thing," the Queen said, and a small smile flashed across her face, for but a second, and then it was gone. "Once this is over, and we bring back the aura for the Kingdom, your name will be heralded. You will become someone that all Changelings want to meet, want to be. You will receive all of the aura you could possibly want."

Azrith felt her mouth water. That was every Changeling's dream. "Thank you, your Majesty," she whispered in her new voice. She turned around and raced to the apartments.


	3. A Day With Bon Bon

**Word Count: 1,413**

* * *

Azrith knocked on the door nervously. She felt a little bit bad about lying to this pony about who she was, but it was for the sake of Queen Chrysalis. Surely, when the time came that she revealed herself, the mare would understand. She was doing it to save millions of Changelings, plus her Queen. That was understandable, right?

The door opened to reveal a bleary-eyed, white mare. "Lyra," she said tiredly. "What kept you at the café? Doesn't your shift end at seven?"

"My… shift?"

"Yeah, and then Octavia takes over with her cello from then until midnight," she said, eyebrows furrowing suspiciously. "Did Octavia not show or something? That's not like her. Huh. Well, come on in."

Azrith followed her into the apartment, a little amazed about how the pony made up the lie for her. "Yeah, O-Octavia," she tested out the name. "She didn't show up. Sorry about being home so late. What time is it?"

"It's one in the morning," she yawned. "You go ahead and eat if you haven't already. I'm going back to bed."

Azrith watched her until she went back through a door, and she finally relaxed. She pulled out the file, needing to be prepared for the next time she talked to one of these ponies.

"Hmm…" she said quietly, flipping through the pages of her bio. "I work as live… music? What in Chrysalis's name is that? A lyre…"

Hours passed as she went over her biography and how ponies acted. Apparently, they didn't have a queen, but two princesses, their names being Celestia and Luna. They ate some really strange things, Azrith thought to herself. Ugh. They ate _hay._ Things that came out of the dirt. That is disgusting, she thought. What's wrong with aura?

She fell asleep over the folder; the last thing she remembered was that she really wanted to go home.

In the morning, she was awoken by a tap on the shoulder. She jumped about five feet in the air, expecting to be pulled back up by her wings, only to fall flat on her face. She quickly put all the files back into the folder with her magic so that the mare (Bon Bon, she'd learned) couldn't see it.

Bon Bon laughed. "Jumpy, much?" she said. "I was just waking you up to tell you that your boss sent a scroll. You don't have to go to work today!"

Azrith let out a sigh of relief. No having to attempt to play that 'lyre' thing that apparently she did beautifully. "So what are we doing instead?" she asked shakily.

"Well, I was thinking we could go to a movie, and then get ice cream!" she said happily. "To our usual place."

"And… where would that be?" Azrith asked, confused about what a 'movie' was but not questioning it.

Bon Bon chuckled. "Oh, Lyra, you're a laugh," she said. "Come on, though. If we don't leave soon we'll miss the matinee. We're going to see _Guardians of Equestria._ Ponies have been saying that it was really cheesy, but I don't believe them. It was adapted from one of my favorite comics! It has to be good."

"…comics, right," Azrith said. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go."

The two walked outside and down the stairs. Azrith looked around in wonder. It looked beautiful in the bright daylight, sun glinting off metal structures and ponies running and flying everywhere. A small shop that had sweet scents exuding from it was to their right, and to their left was a store with what looked like clothing. A wide smile spread across her face as she walked with her new roommate. How had she missed out on this all her life? It was all so amazing; unlike any place she'd ever been to before.

Bon Bon noticed her excitement and smiled as well. "What's got you so happy this morning?" she asked, the happiness seemingly contagious.

"I just… I just never noticed how beautiful our city is before," she said softly. "With everyone running around, and all the shops and everything, it's amazing. It all works so perfectly."

Bon Bon looked pleasantly surprised. "I guess you're right," she replied, glancing around. "You've never been that deep before."

"I… I guess those extra hours were good for me," Azrith said, still in awe.

"Maybe you're right," Bon Bon said. She blinked, snapping out of whatever thoughts she was having as they reached the cinema. "Okay, we're early, good! That means we'll get the best seats."

Bon Bon bought the tickets at the front desk, and the two walked inside together. "Do you want any popcorn?" she asked. "My treat, since you haven't been to the movies in so long. If you ask me, that boss of yours works you half to death."

Azrith gasped. "What? He does?" she asked incredulously. "T-to… death? What kind of person is- do you think I work for?"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, relax. It's only an expression. The point is, popcorn!" she exclaimed. They bought the popcorn and headed to the theater.

The movie turned out… okay. Azrith didn't understand most of it, but Bon Bon dismissed it as just 'not being a fan' (even though she didn't like it herself). The popcorn, on the other hand, was the highlight of the whole thing. Azrith ended up eating most of it in the previews, much to Bon Bon's irritation.

"Come on, Bon Bon, I really want to try out this ice cream stuff!" Azrith said, and then promptly winced. Lyra had obviously had it before. "You know what I mean."

"Duh, I know what you mean!" Bon Bon said. "You've been wanting to try out their new birthday cake ice cream for weeks now. I still think you're crazy. Cake plus ice cream? Gross, if you ask me."

"Well… I think it could be delicious!" Azrith said enthusiastically. "Never judge something on how it looks, that's what I always say." She chuckled wryly at the double meaning of the sentence.

"You do?" Bon Bon asked in disbelief. "Wow. You've learned well from me!"

"What do you mean?" Azrith asked, pleased that she had seemed to earn her roommate's approval.

"It's just that I've always been trying to get you to be a little nicer to ponies. Not that you're rude or anything," she added hastily. "It's just you tend to… oh, how do I say this… blurt things out, without thinking of anypony's feelings."

Azrith nodded. "Well, you've helped me a lot with that," she said, feeling out of place. She shouldn't be making changes to Lyra's personality. It was wrong.

"Well, yeah," Bon Bon said awkwardly. "Hey, look. There's the ice cream shop."

Azrith bounced into the shop excitedly. "So, birthday cake ice cream!" she said. "Where does it come from?"

Bon Bon looked at her strangely. "Lyra, are you feeling okay?" she asked. "I know you've had a rough couple days at work, but… ice cream. Ordering ice cream."

Azrith shrugged sheepishly. "Sorry."

Bon Bon blinked, shaking her head. "No, I'm sorry. I know you've been having a hard time since… since your coltfriend left you, but…" She hesitated. "I'm just worried, Lyra."

"Yeah," Azrith said, though she didn't know what a 'coltfriend' was. "Ice cream, then?"

The pony and Changeling ordered their ice cream and sat down. Azrith licked the cone thoughtfully. It wasn't half bad. Actually, it almost compared with aura. It seemed that in the form she was in, she didn't crave aura as much. She had never stayed in any form for this long, and she found that she was even hungry for the food that the ponies ate.

"So how's the birthday cake ice cream?" Bon Bon asked, breaking Azrith out of her thoughts. "Was I right once again? It's horrible, right?"

Azrith chuckled. "On the contrary, it's rather delicious," she said. "Thank you, Bon Bon."

Bon Bon rolled her eyes. "For what? For giving you a great day?" she asked, grinning. "Don't think anything of it. It's what friends are for."

Even though she knew that the mare didn't know her true identity, Azrith was touched. No one had ever called her a friend before. The Changeling Kingdom was her home; nothing could ever replace that. However, she could tell that she was going to enjoy her time undercover in this new, mad, and wonderful place. Yes, Equestria would likely be her favorite land in all her travels.


	4. At the Castle

**Word Count: 1,131**

* * *

It was about a week after that wonderful first day that Azrith received a letter from the Queen. Although it was signed 'Princess Mi Amore Cadenza', she knew better. Queen Chrysalis was disguised as the Equestrian princess. Azrith opened the letter just as Bon Bon woke up and walked into the room. Though she was still half asleep, she woke up immediately as she saw the royal seal.

"I-is that a letter… from the castle?" she exclaimed, voice rising a pitch. "Why are you getting a letter from one of the princesses?"

Azrith read it over, even though she didn't need to. She knew that this was coming from the folder that had the plan in it. "It says here that I've been invited to be a bridesmaid at the wedding of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Shining Armor," she said, and then she realized she should probably act more excited about it. "Can you believe it? A…a bridesmaid for a royal wedding! And I've been excused from work until the wedding is over. Apparently, this will pay more than I've earned in years." She looked it over, impressed at how detailed the whole plan was.

Bon Bon squealed loudly in a way that made Azrith wince. "Oh sweet Celestia, that is AMAZING!" she shrieked, jumping up and down. "Why you? Do you know the Princess? Who else is going to be a bridesmaid?"

Azrith blinked at the excitement. This pony was… excited about being invited to meet royalty? She wasn't frightened? How strange.

"I have no idea," she said. "I… I did meet the Princess once, before I met you."

"Really?" Bon Bon exclaimed. "That is so cool! What happened?"

"Well, we were on a… school trip, and we just happened upon her," Azrith replied. "She was just in the park that we were at. I said 'hello', and we talked a while. I guess she remembered me."

Bon Bon grinned, slightly calmer from the initial shock. "So when do you have to be there?"

Azrith read over the letter once more. "It says that I have to be in the dressmaker's sleeping quarters today at four," she said. "What time is it now?"

Bon Bon glanced at the clock on the wall. "It's two thirty!" she said in a panicked whisper. "Come on, we have to get to the castle, now!"

Azrith stopped her as she rushed to the door. "It also says that I should come alone," she added. "Sorry."

Bon Bon frowned, obviously disappointed, but nodded in understanding. "Okay, go ahead," she said. "See you later."

Azrith trotted outside, feeling the warm afternoon air on her face and soaking up the midday sun. She quickly made her way to the castle, knowing that she would be punished harshly for being late. When she approached the steps leading up to the castle, she spotted two ponies with emotionless expressions at the top.

"So, I'm assuming you're the other ones?" Azrith asked, not wanting to fully disclose her identity in case they weren't the two other Changelings.

The blue one smirked. "The other what, Lyra?" she asked, rolling her eyes. "Of course we are. Didn't you see our pictures in the file?"

"Oh, o-of course, I did," Azrith stuttered, cheeks flushing pink in embarrassment. The whole folder was really thick, and she'd only gotten through about a half of it. "I just wanted to make sure you were paying attention, that's all. Now, what are your names?"

"I'm Colgate," the blue one said. "And this is Twinkleshine. Come on, the Queen is waiting."

"Queen? What queen?" Azrith asked, grinning widely. "Don't you mean Princess Mi Amore Cadenza?"

"Of course, my mistake," 'Colgate' said, sniffing. "Are you coming, or what?"

They walked up into the castle, quickly finding the right room thanks to some helpful guards. Azrith was fascinated about how amazing this place was, and yet the ponies were so thick. They didn't even suspect that they were in disguise.

When they reached the room, they heard a voice speaking. "….was hoping for something with more beading and a longer train," the female voice said. The Queen, Azrith thought to herself as the three masked Changelings silently made their way into the room where a purple unicorn, a white unicorn, and 'Princess Mi Amore Cadenza' stood, the Princess observing the dresses.

"Oh, yes, of course!" the white unicorn said in a high pitched voice as the purple one looked on in disdain.

"And those should be a different color," the Queen snapped, causing the purple unicorn to grimace. Azrith wondered what she was so upset about.

"I think they're lovely!" Twinkleshine said, smiling tightly.

"Me too!" Colgate added.

Azrith decided that it would be best to go along with what they were saying, so she put in a weak, "I love them."

"Make them a different color," the Queen said harshly, and Azrith realized the reason of the others' approval of the dresses. They should be nicer to the ponies, in order to gain their trust and friendship. Not that she would ever say anything (for it would likely get her either sent home, arrested, or worst of all, executed), but Azrith highly disapproved of the way Queen Chrysalis had treated the poor dressmaker.

Her superior quickly broke her out of her musings. "You all must leave, now," she said. "You had to make an appearance so that I could show that I was real. I am slightly concerned about the purple one. She says that she has known me her whole life, so she can tell that something is wrong with my personality. I have a backup plan if she decides to voice her concerns to her little friends."

"And what would that be, my Queen?" Colgate asked.

"Now is not the time, my young Changeling," Queen Chrysalis said coolly. "You will know if this happens. I do apologize, but I don't believe that I can stop the story from getting out if even one pony hears of it. Rumors do spread quickly here in Equestria."

They reached the bottom steps. "Now, leave, my children," she said with a dramatic gesture of her hoof. "Go back to your new lives. It will not be much longer now, and we shall feast."

Azrith couldn't help but flee after she heard the Queen speak those last three, eerie words. They sounded so… off. She shook her head as she ran all the way back to the apartment. She had to trust the Queen. She would get aura from these ponies, peacefully, and she would be famed back in the Changeling Kingdom. Everything was going exactly how she'd expected.

But if that was the case, why did she have a strange feeling that everything was going to go completely, dreadfully wrong?


	5. The Grocery Store

**Word Count: 753**

* * *

Weeks passed after the rather frightening talk with Queen Chrysalis. These are the reasons that I only ever wanted to be a scout, Azrith thought as she made her way to the store to pick up some things for dinner. No encounters with royalty. Look how that turned out.

Azrith entered the grocery store nervously. Bon Bon had insisted that she get the chance to pick out something that she wanted. Azrith wrinkled her nose, unable to choose anything. She never asked Bon Bon what was in the delicious meals that she'd made. She stared blankly at the things labeled 'produce'. She couldn't come back to Bon Bon empty-handed; that would be embarrassing, not to mention that it would give her roommate more reason to suspect that something was off.

"Having some trouble, there?" a lightly accented male voice said from her right. She turned to see a brown stallion with an hourglass for a cutie mark staring at her with a raised eyebrow. She looked down sheepishly.

"Yes, actually," she replied. "My roommate told me to pick out whatever I wanted for dinner, but I have no idea what to get. I don't have any experience at all in cooking. The food just… appears on the table. Not literally, mind you. She cooks brilliantly."

The stallion chuckled. "My companion might be of help. She enjoys cooking, although it doesn't always turn out right," he said, and he and Azrith both laughed. "Hold tight, I'll go get her."

Azrith smiled, yet again awed at the kindness of everypony here in Equestria. If she had been in her home Kingdom, no one would have offered to help her, and if she had asked, they probably would've ignored her. She would deny it if anyone asked, but she was secretly starting to like Equestria better than the Changeling Kingdom.

The stallion came back, dragging a light grey mare behind him. "Derpy! This is…" he paused. "I never actually got your name, what was it?"

"Lyra," Azrith said, the name rolling off her tongue like she had been saying it her whole life. "Lyra Heartstrings."

"Well, I'm Doctor Whooves, and this is my friend, Derpy," he said, grinning widely. "Derpy, Lyra was wondering if you had any suggestions for her and her roommate's dinner. Just something simple, nothing too elaborate."

"Oh, easy!" the mare chirped, and Azrith couldn't help but smile at her infectious attitude. "Try making hay burgers! They're easy to make, and they taste better homemade. Me and the Doctor here can help you make them if you want. The recipe's simple, but you get such a great meal from it."

Doctor Whooves grimaced. "Now, Derpy, there's no need to help her make it. I'm sure the recipe will be just fine-" he started, only to be cut off by his energetic companion.

"Oh, come on, Doc!" she exclaimed. "It'll be fun! We can have a whole dinner party with her roommate!"

"Domestics," he grumbled under his breath. "You'll have to ask Lyra. It is her house after all."

"It's fine by me," Azrith said, ecstatic to have met another possible friend. Her mind froze for a moment at the word 'friend'. Wasn't it a strict policy of this mission to not make friends? She brushed it off. Forget the Queen, and all those rules for now, she said to herself firmly. I'll make friends if I like, even if I'll only have to leave them in the end. "Bon Bon will like it. She's very social."

"Oh, good!" Derpy said, flitting in the air momentarily. However, this action caused the sign labeled 'No Flying', to be knocked over. Derpy blushed, embarrassed. Azrith levitated the sign with her magic, putting it back into place. Derpy smiled widely. "Thanks, Lyra."

"Oh, it's no problem. I've noticed everypony is so kind here, so it's the least I can do," Azrith said, grinning, before she realized her mistake. Unfortunately, Doctor Whooves noticed as well.

"Are you… new in town?" he asked lightly.

Azrith winced, scrambling for an answer. "Ah… my roommate and I moved here from… from Fillydelphia. I'm a bridesmaid in the royal wedding," Azrith said softly. "But I normally play the lyre at a café."

Doctor Whooves seemed to still be uneasy, but he accepted the lie. "I see," he said. "Well, Derpy, hay burgers with our new friend Lyra and her roommate it is. What time can we come over?"

"Five thirty tonight is fine," Azrith said, bouncing with excitement. "I'll see you there!"


	6. The Fall of the Scout

**Word Count: 1,735**

* * *

"You did _what_?"

Azrith flinched at her friend's obvious disapproval at her news. "I thought you wanted me to meet new ponies," she said. "Doctor Whooves and Derpy seem pretty nice. Derpy is going to help me make hay burgers!"

Bon Bon lowered her voice, glowering. "Sure, she will, if she doesn't burn our apartment down first," she muttered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Azrith asked incredulously. Normally, Bon Bon was really accepting of ponies. The Changeling was beginning to believe that Equestria was perfect. However, the white mare's reaction confused her.

"Let's just say that… Derpy isn't the most _reliable_," Bon Bon said bitterly. "I've never told anyone this, but a while ago, when we were just fillies, Derpy was a foreign exchange student from Cloudsdale. We were partners in a science experiment that I had nearly finished. Derpy asked if she could help, so I let her use the hot glue gun. She did the job, and my parents took us out for ice cream. When we came back… there was a huge, gaping hole in the middle of the project that I'd slaved over for months. She left the glue gun on. I didn't blame her for it, since she was a bit…" Bon Bon gestured to her head. "You know. But I was sure that I would've won the whole science fair!" She paused, thinking. "Actually, it sounded worse in my mind. When I say it out loud, it really takes a lot out of it."

Azrith grinned widely. "Does that mean they can still come over?" she asked, leaning in and waiting for the answer.

"Of course, they can!" Bon Bon said, rolling her eyes. "Even if I didn't want them over, I can't just kick them out, can I? That would be rude. So what time are they coming?"

They began tidying the apartment, five thirty rapidly approaching. At about four, the doorbell came, the mailpony outside. Azrith went to answer it, since Bon Bon was arranging some flowers on the mantle.

She opened the door to the stallion that always came to deliver their mail. She smiled at him. "So, got anything important for us today, Stamp?" she asked.

Stamp Letter nodded quickly, levitating a scroll with his magic. "It's from the castle!" he said in an excited whisper. "From Princess Mi Amore Cadenza!"

Azrith tore open the royal seal and looked at the letter, which simply read, 'Change of plan. Meet me at the castle immediately. –C.'

"So, what's it say?" Stamp asked, beaming widely and trying to peek over the edge of the paper. "You must be pretty important, if you're getting letters from Princess Cadenza."

Azrith backed up, slamming the door in his face and ignoring his, "You could've just said you didn't want me to read it!"

"Bon Bon!" Azrith called to her roommate. "I've got to go. Tell Derpy and Doctor Whooves that I had a family emergency."

The mare ran into the hallway, wide-eyed. "Lyra, what is it?" she asked, concern lining her face. "What's happened? You're not in contact with your family!"

Tears came to Azrith's eyes. She realized that this might be the last time she would ever see Bon Bon. "Thank you, so much, for everything," she said. "You were the first pony I had that I thought really cared about me. I have to go now, and I might not be back for a long time. But you will see me again, do you understand? I might act a bit different, and have some memory gaps of the past month, but you will see me."

"But why? Why do you have to go?" Bon Bon asked, on the verge of tears herself. "Where are you going?"

"I'm sorry, I can't tell you," she said, to her friend's disbelieving look. "Really, I can't. But just know that you've been the best of friends to me. You taught me how to be a friend, how to have friends. That is something I value more than…" Azrith stopped herself, realizing that she was about to say the Queen. "Anyways, I really do have to go now. Say hello to our new friends for me tonight. Remember, family business."

Azrith ran as fast as she could towards the castle, not once looking back, for if she did she feared she might turn around and run home.

_Home._

With a start, Azrith realized that not just the tiny apartment, but the whole realm of Equestria she considered her home so much more than her little niche in the cold, friendless Changeling Kingdom. More tears poured from her eyes, drying off in the wind as she ran. She didn't want to go.

_She'd grown too attached. She didn't want to leave._

Azrith forced herself to keep running. In any other case, she would have gone back a while ago. Chrysalis, she wouldn't have to leave her friends in any other case.

Bon Bon won't need me after all this, Azrith thought. She'll have the real Lyra.

With a jolt, Azrith realized that Bon Bon wasn't her friend. Bon Bon was Lyra's friend, and Azrith was pretending to be Lyra. Impersonation and lies. That was all her friendship with anypony here was based on. Lies. That was no way to earn somepony's trust. She really was a true Changeling, wasn't she?

Azrith had no more time to dwell on that fact as she reached the castle. The Queen herself was waiting for her there, along with the two others. Although it wasn't a surprise to see Queen Chrysalis in a weakened state, her eyes widened as she saw the two Changelings pale and sickly looking.

"What… what's wrong with you?" Azrith asked, hurrying up the steps. "All three of you look starved."

"The real question is, why do _you _not look at all hungry?" Colgate hissed. "We haven't had a drop of aura for over a month now. You stole aura from someone, didn't you? That's why you look so healthy!"

Queen Chrysalis held up a hoof. "Now, now, Lenzin, I'm sure that is not what had happened," she said, though her eyes were narrowed in obvious suspicion. "I'm sure that our young friend will be happy to share. However, now is not the moment. You must make haste to the underground tunnels. A pony that was rather close to the princess was beginning to voice her doubts her friends, so you will no longer be the bridesmaids. Instead, I am making her friends the bridesmaids, simply to ease their suspicions about me." She smiled, but to Azrith, it seemed there was no warmth in it. "The three of you will make sure that the real princess stays in the underground for the wedding. Do you understand?"

The other two Changelings responded with a sharp, "Yes ma'am!" but Azrith stayed silent.

"Azrith?" the Queen said, and the said Changeling shuddered under her gaze. "I sincerely hope, for your sake, that your reason for not responding to me is a sore throat."

Azrith took a deep breath and swallowed hard, forcing herself to look into the Queen's intense stare. "Your Majesty," she began, ready to stand up to the Queen once and for all. However, a glare from Lenzin made her quickly change her mind. "I apologize. These pony throats get stuck all too often. Of course I will go to the tunnels."

The Queen held a satisfied smirk on her face. "Good," she said. "Now, the entrance to the tunnel is in the third shrub to the right of us. You will go in and sleep there, and in the morning, you will guard the entrance directly underneath the wedding. You will hear noises from those dreadful birds directly above. Is that clear?"

"Yes ma'am," all three Changelings responded in unison, though Azrith had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. They raced to the bush and found a small lever hidden there. When the Changeling named Lenzin pulled it, a small trapdoor opened, too small for anything larger than a mouse to fit through.

"Hold on, I've got an idea," Azrith said. She closed her eyes and transformed from the bright green mare that she'd been for the past month to a small rat. The other two nodded and did the same. They crept through the hole and changed back. "Pretty good, huh?"

The army Changeling whose name Azrith hadn't yet learned rolled his eyes. "Oh, just stop pretending already," he muttered.

"What do you mean?" Azrith asked nervously. "Stop pretending what?"

"Don't think we don't know," Lenzin said, smirking devilishly, her eyes flashing green. "You've started to like this place. You've made friends."

"Lenzin, having friends isn't all that bad!" Azrith protested. "You had a friend, remember? You wanted to say goodbye, before we all left!"

"My nichemate was not my friend," Lenzin said coldly. "Friendship is a weakness, Azrith. It's why so many species that have love and friendship have suffered, but the Changelings, oh, we have soldiered on. The needs of the many outweigh the few. If we have to sacrifice one of our own for the benefit of the Kingdom, we don't flinch. Love makes you weak!"

She was in Azrith's face now, spitting and hissing her words with venom. Azrith stepped back, shocked at the Changeling's speech. "B-but…" she trailed off.

"But, nothing," Lenzin snapped. "Sorry. This is for your own good."

Azrith backed up against the wall as Lenzin's eyes glowed green, temporarily blinding her. "What are you doing?" she shouted, ears ringing.

"You never did ask what I did," the Changeling said. "You were probably thinking, oh, look! She's from a Lower Hive! She's good for nothing, just like the rest of them! Oh, but Azrith, my job in my Hive was brainwashing. That's what happens to the 'under the wing' Changelings. We completely brainwash them to prepare them for battle. It normally takes months, but I've recently… advanced in my studies. I'll be able to get it done in the next hour."

"No! Please, stop!"Azrith begged, horror taking over every other emotion. Her only thoughts were of Trezin. Her nichemate. Was that what was happening to him?

"Oh, Azrith," Lenzin sighed. "When will you learn that the Queen goes before everything else? Don't resist. Just calm… down…"

Azrith sank to the ground, the world spinning. The moment she closed her eyes, everything went black.


	7. The Battle

**Word Count: 2,119**

When Azrith woke, it was as if she was looking through muddy water. Something had happened, and-

She cut off her thoughts immediately. Someone, something, was telling her not to ask questions. It was easy, so she complied. She had to keep someone somewhere. She had to make them stay.

"Azrith?" a voice said, but it was blurry, like she was underwater. "How are you feeling? We'll have to go soon if we want to catch the prisoners."

That made everything snap into place. "Yes, let's go now!" she exclaimed, starting to run down the stone tunnels. She barely heard the sound of hoofsteps behind her. There was only one thought on her mind. The prisoners were bad, and they needed to be stopped.

The chirping of birds above distracted Azrith for a moment, the sound forcing its way through to her brain like a bullet. She stumbled for a second, but one glance to her comrades behind her made her snap out of it, and she continued to run.

They finally made their way to a ledge. In front of them were a purple unicorn and the original Princess, though she looked a little worse for wear. The three Changelings' eyes flashed dangerously, and Azrith's mouth curved up into a threatening smirk.

"You're not going anywhere," they said in unison, walking towards the frightened ponies menacingly. They had nearly reached them when the Princess pulled out a bouquet of flowers. Suddenly, all Azrith could think about was getting those flowers. She stopped moving and waited for the pink pony to throw it. When she did, she leapt to catch it, stumbling over her fellow Changelings in the process.

Azrith blinked, sitting up. How had she been able to distract them so easily?

"Hypnotism," Lenzin grumbled. Somewhere in Azrith's subconscious told her that the Changeling deserved it. "She hypnotized us!"

"Well, taste of your own medicine, eh, Lenzin," the army Changeling said, grinning.

"Oh, shut up," she snapped. "It's not like you've never brainwashed before."

"Actually, for the record I haven't!" he protested. After a moment, he took it back. "Okay, fine, just once. But that idiotic little dragon deserved it! And he wasn't even a proper dragon, all domesticated. He was on our land, stealing jewels."

"So, you wiped his memory of us," Lenzin mocked. "Well done."

As they were arguing, Azrith took the opportunity to slip away. The task was complete; she didn't know what else to do now. Something felt… off. She felt like she was walking in a dream. Using her military training (where she had even gotten training, she hadn't the foggiest), she retraced her steps to the trapdoor where she and the other two had entered. Azrith brushed away the vines in the way.

She quickly transformed into a rat again (a poor rat somewhere had just passed out) and crept through the hole…

…to come face to face with mass chaos.

She quickly changed back to avoid being squished underneath a pony hoof and began running. Where she was running to, she had no idea, but she knew that she had to get away. She dodged the Changelings still rocketing to the ground. She looked up at the castle, but before she knew it she was crashing into a very familiar white mare.

They both landed hard on the ground, rubbing their heads. The pony stared at the still disguised Changeling in disbelief.

"L-Lyra?" she stammered. "That's impossible! I was just talking to-"

Azrith stared at her in confusion as her face melted into realization.

"Oh, you're one of _them_, aren't you?" she snapped hatefully. "You're a Changeling! I was at the wedding when your lot invaded! You're all the same, every single one of you."

It was as if a bucket of water had been poured over Azrith's head. Her vision cleared and she looked at the pony she considered a friend remorsefully.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered.

"What's that?" Bon Bon hissed.

"I'm sorry, Bon Bon," Azrith said, louder. "I made you think that I was your best friend for a whole month. I lied to you. I started to delude myself, thinking that maybe, just_maybe_, we had become friends, but you just saw your friend that you had known for years. You didn't even suspect that it was me, a Changeling, in disguise." She sniffed, something wet pooling in her eyes. She wiped the foreign substance away. "Even with Doctor Hooves and Derpy. They thought I was something I wasn't. That was so wrong of me, and I'm-"

She was abruptly cut off by Bon Bon pushing her to the ground hard. She flinched and waited for her to start hitting, but the punches never came. Instead, a piece of debris came crashing down where they had both been sitting. It was close enough to clip her tail.

Azrith sat up slowly, heart pounding wildly. "Y-you… saved me," she said, looking at the mare in amazement. "You could've just left me there, but you saved me."

"Well, what are friends for?" she said, smiling wearily.

"B-but we're not friends; I lied to you-"

"You were kind," Bon Bon said. "And just now, you apologized to me. I'm not seeing anypony- sorry, any Changeling else doing that."

"So… you forgive me?" Azrith asked, a wide smile on her face.

"Of course I forgive you," she said warmly. She pulled the Changeling into a hug. "Tell you what, if you don't want to go back to the Changelings after all this, you can come stay with Lyra and me. In a different form, of course. I think one Lyra is enough." They both chuckled at that.

All of a sudden, they were ripped from their spot on the ground into the air. They both screamed, Bon Bon clutching to Azrith for dear life. They flew through the air faster than Azrith had seen the Pegasi fly, other Changelings surrounding them.

They landed in a large lake, sinking under the water. Azrith, who had been forced back into her original form, had no problem staying afloat. With all the holes in her body she had no problem staying above the water.

"Bon Bon?" she gasped, her stomach settling. When the pony didn't come up, Azrith panicked, diving under the water with her eyes open.

She swam all the way to the bottom (about four feet) before she spotted her friend lying unconscious in the mud. Struggling to stay down, she grasped at Bon Bon's hooves with her own. She ended up hoisting her over her back and swimming, painfully slowly, to the surface. Thankfully, the edge of the water was near, and Azrith flopped down with Bon Bon onto the gritty sand, exhausted.

Minutes later, Bon Bon woke up, coughing. Despite the fact that every part of her was hurting, Azrith leapt to her feet and hovered over the white Earth pony.

"Bon Bon? Can you hear me?" she asked worriedly.

"Yeah, yeah," she rasped hoarsely. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure myself," Azrith muttered. "We were blasted out of Equestria, but I don't know how it happened. You almost drowned."

Bon Bon opened her mouth to reply when they both heard hoofsteps behind them. Azrith turned around to see Queen Chrysalis approaching.

"Ah, young Azrith. I see you have taken a prisoner from Equestria. How wise of you," the Queen hissed. "We can feast on her love, though she's a small little thing."

Azrith stood up, eying the Queen warily. "She's not a prisoner," she said, voice quiet at first but quickly growing stronger. "She's my friend."

"A… friend?" Queen Chrysalis said incredulously. "Changelings do not have friends, much less with a less than superior race like hers."

"With all due respect, ma'am," Azrith said with gritted teeth. "I've learned why I didn't become weak, like you or Lenzin. Both of you saw it as a job, to stay in Equestria. You looked at the ponies, and you saw only a feast. But they are so much more. I fed off their love, but not by force, not by invading. I made friends, and they willingly _gave _me love. I feel stronger than I have my whole life."

The Queen gave a short laugh. "Love is a weakness," she spat. "And if you're too corrupted by these ponies to see that, then you might as well be burned and given to the hatchlings. We cannot have weakness in our kingdom."

"I'm sorry, your Majesty. But I won't be coming back to the Kingdom," Azrith said, looking back at Bon Bon. "I made a promise to my friend that I would come to Equestria with her."

"Well then, if that's how you feel…" the royal Changeling trailed off. "Trezin?"

Azrith felt her heart sink as her old nichemate stepped around from behind the Queen. His eyes were glazed over and were emitting a green glow. Though he looked dazed, he walked smoothly. He approached Azrith and Bon Bon slowly.

"Trezin," she whispered. "What have they done to you?"

"You are a traitor to the Changeling Kingdom," he said in a monotone voice, not even blinking. "You will come with us willingly to be incinerated, or we will kill both you and your pony companion."

Azrith gulped as she watched his horn glow green. "Trezin," she said, mouth dry. "Snap out of it! I was the closest thing to your friend back home. Remember when I brought that seapony home? Remember?"

The liquid substance that she had felt in her eyes before came back as she spoke, voice cracking. "You loved it. Don't you remember? But y-you couldn't k-keep it alive."

"You will refrain from speaking," he snapped.

Azrith backed up, standing in front of Bon Bon. "We're not coming with you," she said. "I'm sorry, Trezin. I'm so sorry for what they've done to you. But we can't."

"You are just as useful dead," he hissed, and his horn glowed brighter. Azrith closed her eyes as if she was giving up, when really she was working on teleporting. She'd never done it before. It wasn't mandatory for her studies, so she hadn't bothered learning. But she knew people who had learned it, and she had looked at the instructions once before. It _seemed_ simple.

She pictured the apartment in Equestria, and felt all the sights, the smells, the feeling of home. She could do it. She _wanted _to go home so very badly. She grabbed onto Bon Bon's hoof just as she felt a horrible sensation of being sucked out into space. When they landed, her stomach lurched, but she managed to keep everything down.

Azrith opened her eyes, and they were in a different place. Not the apartment, but she could see the grand Equestrian castle in the distance. She turned around to see Bon Bon cowering on the ground.

"Bon Bon," she said, nudging the mare with her hoof. "Bon Bon, we're safe!"

The Earth pony looked up, eyes wide. She let out a shaky laugh, which Azrith joined in on.

"How did you do it?" she asked in amazement.

"I tried to get us to the apartment, but this was my first time teleporting," she explained. "I got us as close as I could."

"What about that other Changeling?" Bon Bon asked. "Didn't you say his name was Trezin? How do you know him?"

Azrith' smile faded a fraction. "He… was something of a friend," she said quietly. "He was my nichemate. But now I see that some friends change. And there's nothing you can do about it once they're gone. Your true friends might come later, but they will always stay by your side."

Bon Bon smiled. "Well, we've got a pretty long walk ahead of us," she said, getting to her feet. "Might as well start now."

The two friends got up and began to walk, knowing that the journey home would be difficult, but that they would get through it. As they walked, they really talked for the first time. They talked about their childhoods, and the society that they grew up in. Bon Bon told her friend about the fiasco of the dinner party the previous night, and Azrith laughed when she heard that Doctor Whooves had thrown all the pears in their fruit bowl out the window.

Although Azrith worried that she wouldn't be accepted in the pony society because of what she was, she knew that she would get through it. She would always have Bon Bon. And no matter what they went through, she knew that she would be okay. Her friends would always have her back.

_And really_, Azrith thought. _Friendship is more than any amount of aura she could have._

* * *

**Total Word Count: 10,471**


End file.
